How To Make Nail Polish Dry Faster
Photo of hands laid diagonally on top of each other on aqua and white striped beach towel showcasing coral painted nails by Lazar Gugleta on Unsplash
Updated 2024.10.07. This page contains affiliate links and this site earns from qualifying purchases made through these sponsored links.
Spending time to paint your nails is both therapeutic and a luxury.
Time is one of the most valuable resources on Earth and while the concept of time is ever changing, the amount of time spent on tasks still matters in the world today.
Yet, on even the most hectic days, nothing quite fills the desire for a pick me up like a fresh coat of nail polish.
Maybe you have somewhere you need to go and you want to look crisp in a minute, with all the other pending tasks you have to do later.
Maybe you have lots of chores on your plate for the day. Maybe you are planning to go to sleep right after your new polish set is dry. There are many reasons you may want to condense the time it takes for polish to dry.
In this post, the focus is on how to get your nail polish to dry faster.
When nail polish dries more quickly, you can both enjoy the beauty of a fresh manicure, and move on with your day in an energetic and upbeat manner.
Yes, there’s a time and place for the relaxing three hour manicure where you carefully apply, and remove coats, do a pedicure too, and take care to test shade colors, and touch up smudges.
This article isn’t about that kind of manicure day. It’s about how to have your nails look amazing in a flash and then move on with your life.
So below, are seven things you can do to get your nail polish to dry more quickly -
Vertical photo of three bottles of Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Extreme Wear line in glitter pink, pink coral and white, by Element5 Digital on Unsplash
1 - Apply thin coats when possible
The thinner the coat of nail polish you use, the more quickly the air can get to it to dry it.
While using a thin coat of paint is more challenging with some polishes, such as glitters, when getting nail polish on your brush, try to wipe the sides of the brush down to the tip, where just a dab, a dot, or a pearl of paint remains.
Use this pearl of paint at the end of the brush to swipe down the middle of the nail, and then add one swipe on either side of the nail avoiding overlap.
If you notice you applied a heavier coat, while the polish is still wet, run the brush over your nail one last time to pick up any overflow of polish.
If your polish streaks with thin coats, know that with 2-3 coats, often streaks tend to disappear.
2 - Let each coat of polish fully dry before adding the next coat
In a standard manicure, you will usually need to apply at least three to five coats of polish - the base coat, color coat, and the top coat.
Some color polishes require only one coat, others up to three coats give their best color show.
How long do you let nail polish dry between coats?
Depending on your nail polish’s formula, it could take on average anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes for each single coat of nail polish to fully set.
If you are using a standard nail polish, not a quick-dry formula, try letting your polish set for three-minutes or about the length of a modern song. Tap the top of the nail lightly and if you can see a fingerprint in the paint, you still need a few more minutes.
When you apply a new coat before the other one dries, air takes longer to get to the previous coat, meaning your manicure may not fully dry, until hours later.
3 - Consider a quick-dry formula color nail polish
Although your shade range may be limited to the line when going with a specific fast-drying color formula, these polishes dry so quickly you can do your nails in-between stirring pots on the stove while you cook.
4 - Find a quick drying top coat you love
Almost every nail polish line makes a quick dry top coat these days. These top coats are clear, glossy and they can be interchangeable between brand lines.
Having one quick dry top coat in your collection for speedy manicure days is a good investment if you love having your nails polished.
If you know you like a certain brand’s polish, grab their quick dry top coat if they make one - as using the same line of formulas together can also help your polish dry more quickly.
5 - Utilize the nearest sunbeam
Stepping outside in the sun is a great way to get both heat and air on your polish, which can help speed up the drying process.
Without going outside, find a sunny window and dry your nails in the sunbeam. The heat coming through the glass can expedite the drying process.
6 - Use a fan or a space heater
A note on using a space heater: when your nails get too close to the heating elements, the polish could develop air bubbles. If you notice this happening, simply back up your hand, and dry your polish a little farther away from the heat source.
7 - Select your base, color and top coat all from the same line
Some nail polishes are interchangeable with each other, some are less so.
If you’ve ever asked the question, why is my nail polish not drying? This is the most likely reason - your brand lines are not compatible with each other.
When a polish’s formula doesn’t mix with another, it can develop a gel-like consistency that never fully sets.
To solve this, take an inventory of your polish collection and notice which brands you see a lot of in your stash. On your next errand run, see if you can get the matching top coat and base coat for your most loved brands.
When the formulas play nicely together you are going to get the nicest set and wear from your polish, including dry time.
Okay, so to recap, a few of the ways you can speed up the setting of your nail polish are -
Photo of hands laid diagonally on top of each other on aqua and white striped beach towel showcasing coral painted nails by Lazar Gugleta on Unsplash with text overlay How To Make Nail Polish Dry Faster
Apply thin coats when possible
Let each coat of polish fully dry before adding the next coat
Consider a quick-dry formula color nail polish
Find a quick-dry top coat you love
Utilize the nearest sunbeam
Use a fan or a space heater
Select your base, color and top coat all from the same line
You don’t have to implement all these steps in your routine for success, but try a few of them next time you polish your nails to achieve quicker setting manicured nails.
Of these techniques, using a quick-dry top coat and letting the polish coats fully dry between steps are probably the easiest ways to begin.
Then, if you have an unused fan or space heater laying around, put it to use and if you can, try using a base, color and top coat all from the same line - and see if you notice a difference.
Overall, by using some of these tips above, you can improve the speed of how long it takes your nail polish to dry.
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